Perk Up

My mother called last Friday to say that she would be descending on us the next day with a couple of her friends to meet her new granddaughter. Oh great! I thought but when I looked out the window and took in the sorry state of the garden I thought I better jump to action or I would have to bear the disappointment of my green fingered mother and her friends. But how to perk up the garden in a couple of hours?

My neighbour is almost Monty Don so I asked him what quick fixes I could make. “Simple” he said. “Water liberally tonight to make sure everything is looking as perky as Tom Hiddleston’s bottom. Mow the lawn so everything smells nice and trim as many edges as possible with a half moon edger. Then cut some flowers and plonk in a nice vase on the garden table to distract your mother’s gaze from the neglected beds and do a bit of judicious deadheading while you are cutting them.” Wow! I thought and then I wondered if he has had to perform these little tricks for his unexpected guests a few times in his gardening career.